The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-09-08


ment indicated how highly it was valued.
The corn and supplies they did not ap-
pear to grieve over particularly, as pre-
vented any destruction of che cribs or
any unnecessary damage to the property.
Consequently / was very Hospitality re-
ceived in the house. The family consisted
OF an old gentleman named Sunderland,
his wife, and three daughters Sunder-
land was well-to-do planter, though too
old to take arms. He was doctor by
profession and a Methodist preacher by
choice. His family circle was, in its re-
hnement and the beauty of the girls,
something charming, particularly to a
horse soldier who for some years had
known only the roughness of camp The
eldest daughter was married, her husband
being captain in the rebel army. The
other two were-ourIefair petitioners, and
with them enjoyed fattering degree
of popularity from the start"
The commander-in-chief stopped and
gazed with a satisfied smile into the Ala
bama of twenty years ago.
"Well,' - he said, picking up the thread
of the story, Il need only say that their
fate was in my hands, that all is fair in
love and war, and from that day forth l
simply owned the place, corn fields, mig
gers, guitar, and Methodist preachers,
all included. And, gentlemen" and he
dwelt with some particular and me aning
emphasis upon the "and - i" she, Ellen,
was l9 and l was %.
During the next two months all our
foraging somehow was in the direction
Il seemed perhaps to the horses that
everything available in the food had mi
grated to the district back Of the Sunder-
land plantation, which had to be passed
in order to light on anything at ALL
There was something about the Sunder-
land cuisine, too, that must have appeared
very tempting to my men, for did not
willingly, l believe, miss a meal. Ellen
and l, in fact, were constantly together.
The old folks made no objection. The
blue eyes of the golden-haired sister
beamed the sweetest kind of approval,
the days were long, and the twilights of
the dim old fire woods perfect, and-I be-
lieve l mentioned the fact, gentlemen" :"
said the cemmander-in-chief, with a sigh,
"that she was l9 and | was 23."
might remark parenthetically that
there is nothing in life quite so fascina-
ting as to be isolated IN the wilderness in
company with beautiful woman. Sew
eral books have been written with that
one idea to carry them, and like Charles
Reade's Foul Play they have always
caught the public's eye. There was no
sentimental talk between US. The crack
Of the guerrilla rifle, the distant boom of
battle, the war smoke in the air, and the
period when NJ one knew what day
might bring forth were very i'll adapted
for sincere lsvemaking, and that anything
in the shape of man could have made
love to Ellen Sunderland insincerely it
would take pretty bitter cynic to be-
lieve. But we we're together none the
less; together when the tree shadows
crept slowly across hot, still, brown fields
as the sun sank lower and lower toward
the mountains' summit; together in the
stiffness and loneliness of the moss grown
aisles of the woods in the noontide heat !;
together when the big round harvest
moon hung still and shimmering like a
great shield of gold balanced against the
black velvet wall of the autumn night
universe. What we said and what we
did and what we thought it matters not
1t would be very to you like chesnut,
perhaps, to dwell upon in. Every woman
knows who has ever been 10; every man
remembers who knew what it was to be
%.
"Well, one day when entered the house
l had a surprise. | had heard rumors of
there being a wounded rebel officer in
hiding at the Sundcrlands. l had paid
no attention to them, however, believing
them to be without foundation. But on
this day, entering the house as usual
without knocking, opened the door of
the reception room or parlor, the first
door on the right-hand side of the hall,
which ran through the house. There
was large fireplace in this room on the
side opposite the door. AS l stepped in
l saw an easy chair, high-backed. in front
OF this fire. was instantly conscious in
some way-for certainly saw nothing Of
him-thst man, and stranger, was
sitting in that chair. I did not attempt
to see any more 1 stepped out, closed
the door, and quietly took chair in the
sitting-room opposite. In moment or
two the eldest daughter came in hurriedly,
pale and agitated.
Mr.-r she gasped, did you 60
into the other room?
"I did, said l.
wDid you see anybody?'
"'I did not,' answered very quietly.
She looked me squarely in the eye. l
looked squarely back She bowed and,
apparently relieved, passed out
"She had scarcely gone before Addie
came in She was confused at seeing me
in the sitting-room.
"On, Mr.-,' she said, and then
stopped in perplexity.
"tWhat is it p l asked.
"I was going to ask-I-that is-Did
you 90 into the other ROOM?
"'I did, said l.
"'Did you see anybody?'
"'I did not
"And then, with the same question on
her lips, Ellen came in, ignorant of what
had occurred with the others. She was
very grave, almost sad. She asked ms
the same question in a low an appealing
tone. I did not like even q subterfuge
with her. When she asked if had pene-
trated the mysterious apartment l asked,
shaking my head,
"And why Is there anything in this
house to conceal
"The eldest sister, who had returned,
shook her head in denial. 1t was no won
der. He was her husband, l suppose. |
looked at Ellen and Addie. They looked
away. They never looked as lovely, at
least to me. For they would not tell